SUNY Chairman H. Carl McCall and Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson Respond to Governor Cuomo’s State of the State
January 16, 2019
"We applaud Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s State of the State address. He is pressing to keep the American Dream alive through passage of the Senator Jose Peralta DREAM Act to ensure all of our students to have access to an affordable college education, regardless of their citizenship status.
This legislation would expand access to tuition assistance and scholarships like the historic Excelsior Scholarship to thousands of New Yorkers. In New York we value and protect our immigrants and strive to uphold the values embodied by the true American Dream.
Within the executive budget proposal, SUNY, and higher education in general across New York State, will continue to benefit from strong, stable investment, including support for our hospitals and much needed funding support for increased costs.
We are pleased to see the implementation of the final phase of Excelsior Scholarship, as well as the newly announced launch of the Family Empowerment Community College Pilot Program.
We look forward to speaking with state legislators as the 2019-2020 budget is considered."
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
Share this:
Holly Liapis
518-320-1311
Email the Office of Communications
